Man gets federal prison for mail theft in 2 counties
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man who used his pickup truck to knock down a mailbox so he could search through the contents was sentenced this week to two years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail theft.
Jason James Petiprin, 45, admitted to stealing mail in the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo areas over a five-month span.
Checks stolen from the mail were then altered and either cashed or passed at businesses; stolen credit cards were also used at stores, according to court records.
Petiprin, working with others, stole mail between December 2021 and late April 2022, investigators said. In one instance, he used his pickup to knock down a mailbox owned by a business outside of Kalamazoo, “taking the mailbox away and searching it for mail,” court records show.
He and other members of the conspiracy also rented three rooms at a Kalamazoo hotel, where they stored the stolen checks, credit cards and identity documents, according to court records.
Periprin, who has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, was arrested in August 2023. He pleaded guilty to the mail theft conspiracy charge in December.
“He indicated that his arrest in this case was actually a good thing as his addiction was out of control,” defense attorney Helen C. Nieuwenhuis wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “Mr. Petiprin has accepted responsibility and understands he must face the consequences of his actions.”
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